1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a utility lighter which contains a double-triggering safety mechanism, wherein normal operation of the lighter by pressing only the safety trigger will not produce any sparks and wherein operation of both the safety trigger and an ignition trigger will produce a spark and a flame.
2. Background of the Invention
Utility lighters are very useful and have become quite prevalent in modern times. Utility lighters of the type described herein generally contain a handle and an elongated lighting rod. The shape and operation of utility lighters allow for several advantages over normal means of producing a flame. Most significantly, due to the elongated nature of the lighting rod, utility lighters enable the operator to stand a safe distance away from the object to be ignited before actuating the lighter, thus avoiding a large number of potential accidents. In addition, utility lighters allow a flame to be produced in hard-to-reach or narrow places, where the human hand holding a match would not normally fit. Still, in the hands of children, or others who do not know how to safely and properly operate the lighter, such lighters are as dangerous as any other spark and/or flame-producing device. Therefore, a need has been realized to equip utility lighters with safety features that minimize accidental or improper use by inexperienced persons, especially young children.
Many inventions have been created to address this safety-related concern. Generally, these inventions have sought to introduce safety mechanisms that disable automatic operation of either the spark-generation and/or the fuel-release function of the lighter. For example, some utility lighters provide for a blocking mechanism, where the actuating trigger is blocked from moving the required distance for a spark to be generated. In these lighters, the locking mechanism is normally de-activated by sliding an "on/off" switch to the "on" position, or by other means, so as to remove the impediment from the actuating trigger's operating path.
Although utility lighters of the type described above provide some level of safety, there is much room for improvement. Specifically, in these lighters, once the locking means (e.g., the on/off switch) is disabled, the lighter remains in the unlocked state until the locking mechanism is activated again. Therefore, if the operator disables the locking mechanism in order to use the lighter, and then forgets to re-lock the lighter, the safety feature of the lighter is rendered useless, until the locking mechanism is again activated.
In order to address this problem, some inventions have introduced locking mechanisms that are activated automatically after each use of the lighter. In general, this improvement has alleviated some of the fears associated with leaving the lighter in an unlocked, operable position after the operator has finished using the lighter. However, one disadvantage of such utility lighters is that their operation is usually cumbersome. Frequently, in order to use such automatic-locking utility lighters, the operator must use more than one finger, and sometimes more than one hand, to perform several functions simultaneously. As such, loss of ease of use is the price that is paid for any additional amount of safety that might be achieved.
Other inventions have attempted to address the safety-related issues by impeding not the operation of the trigger, but that of the fuel-release mechanism. Of course, a utility lighter containing such a mechanism would inhibit flame generation in the locked position as no fuel would be released until the locking mechanism has been deactivated. However, in these types of lighters, nothing prevents a spark from being generated. As such, the safety goals are only partially met in these types of lighters since young children handling the lighter could still create fires by operating the lighter in close proximity to a source of fuel or near carpets, paper, or other flammable material. In addition, the same disadvantages that were discussed above with respect to trigger-locking mechanisms apply equally well to fuel-release disabling mechanisms.
Therefore, there is a need for a device that not only achieves the stated safety goals, but also is amenable to operation with relative ease. The invention described herein offers such a combination. The invention requires that an ignition trigger, located in a cavity within the safety trigger, be depressed simultaneously with the safety trigger before a flame can be produced. In this way, young children are coaxed into believing that they can operate the lighter in the usual way, i.e., by pressing the safety trigger. However, such operation will produce neither a spark nor a flame. Moreover, given the relatively small size of the ignition trigger, operation of this trigger requires an amount of strength and pulp that are rarely found in the fingers of young children. At the same time, due to the placement of the ignition trigger, simultaneous operation of both the safety trigger and the ignition trigger requires use of only one finger, so that operation of the lighter by the intended adult user is no different from operation of a lighter with no safety mechanism at all.